Ford, BP Open Hydrogen Station in Michigan

October 23, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS

Ford Motor Co., BP and the City of Taylor, Mich. opened a hydrogen station that will fuel a fleet of Ford Focus fuel cell vehicles.

Taylor Mayor Cameron G. Priebe, whose city is using four of the Ford Focus fuel cells as full time city vehicles, praised the partnership with Ford and BP.

"Through the use of hydrogen and other alternative fuels, we can reduce our nation's dependency on foreign oil. In addition, technology related to the development and use of alternative fuels can lead to job creation here in Michigan and add to our state's tax base," he said.

Ford first began working on hydrogen technology in the early 1990s. The first Ford hydrogen internal combustion engine demonstration vehicle, released in 2001, was based on a lightweight aluminum sedan body, which also was used in the development of the first Ford drivable hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

The company currently has a fleet of 30 hydrogen-powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a worldwide, seven-city program to conduct real world testing of fuel cell technology. The fleet has accumulated more than 300,000 miles since its inception. With this fleet on the ground, a great deal of information is being generated in different local environmental conditions that can be integrated into future fuel cell vehicle propulsion systems, Ford said.

BP is working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its automotive partners to develop hydrogen fuel stations in Michigan, Florida and California. BP also is involved in refueling infrastructure to support fuel cell buses and cars in a number of cities across the world.

Source: Ford Motor Co.